4. With all this focus on Melo, what's the immediate future for the Bulls' European hot shot Nikola Mirotic?
Mirotic is under contract for two more seasons with Real Madrid and might have to spend one more abroad if the Bulls' Melo fantasies materialize.
Or if the offensively desperate Chicagoans make a fallback swoop for, say, longtime Bulls targetPau Gasol.
Given the sizable buyout required to free Mirotic from his Spanish obligations -- and with Chicago able to kick in only $600,000 toward that buyout that wouldn't count against the salary cap -- it's conceivable Chicago might even ask its talented frontcourt prospect to stay abroad for a fourth successive season since he was drafted.
It's hard to see how the Bulls could manufacture the needed financial flexibility to add a high-dollar free agent and Mirotic. The good news is 2011's No. 23 overall pick said earlier this month in an interview with Spain's Canal Plus that he's fine with playing one more season in Madrid, which he calls "home for me."
5. How did you get this far without devoting an entire question to D-Rose?
Fair point.
If it took us this long to get to face of the franchise, we'll have to save the discussion about what Chicago plans to do with its two draft picks (projected to be No. 16 and No. 19) ... or the futures ofKirk Hinrich and D.J. Augustin ... or the work Jimmy Butler needs to put in on his jump shot for another day.
The good news: There have been some positive signals lately about the progress Rose is making his rehab from the torn right meniscus he suffered in Portland on Nov. 22.
The bad news: Rose is making the sort of progress that should allow him to proceed with plans to try to make the Team USA roster for the World Cup of Basketball in Spain, a pursuit that will consume more than a month of the summer from mid-August to mid-September.
The Bulls can't say so -- especially with Thibodeau serving as a Team USA assistant to Mike Krzyzewski -- but they'd surely prefer that Rose hold off on his full-speed return until training camp next fall.
Because if they can't get Melo, or Pau, or the offensive-minded fallback choice we don't yet know about, it'll be incumbent upon Rose to be the offensive savior Chicago badly needs.
I'd love to tell you I'm smart enough to forecast right now, with clarity, whether Rose's body get hold for an entire season -- let alone the three left on his contract at a tidy total of $60.28 million -- but I can't.
Mirotic is under contract for two more seasons with Real Madrid and might have to spend one more abroad if the Bulls' Melo fantasies materialize.
Or if the offensively desperate Chicagoans make a fallback swoop for, say, longtime Bulls targetPau Gasol.
Given the sizable buyout required to free Mirotic from his Spanish obligations -- and with Chicago able to kick in only $600,000 toward that buyout that wouldn't count against the salary cap -- it's conceivable Chicago might even ask its talented frontcourt prospect to stay abroad for a fourth successive season since he was drafted.
It's hard to see how the Bulls could manufacture the needed financial flexibility to add a high-dollar free agent and Mirotic. The good news is 2011's No. 23 overall pick said earlier this month in an interview with Spain's Canal Plus that he's fine with playing one more season in Madrid, which he calls "home for me."
5. How did you get this far without devoting an entire question to D-Rose?
Fair point.
If it took us this long to get to face of the franchise, we'll have to save the discussion about what Chicago plans to do with its two draft picks (projected to be No. 16 and No. 19) ... or the futures ofKirk Hinrich and D.J. Augustin ... or the work Jimmy Butler needs to put in on his jump shot for another day.
The good news: There have been some positive signals lately about the progress Rose is making his rehab from the torn right meniscus he suffered in Portland on Nov. 22.
The bad news: Rose is making the sort of progress that should allow him to proceed with plans to try to make the Team USA roster for the World Cup of Basketball in Spain, a pursuit that will consume more than a month of the summer from mid-August to mid-September.
The Bulls can't say so -- especially with Thibodeau serving as a Team USA assistant to Mike Krzyzewski -- but they'd surely prefer that Rose hold off on his full-speed return until training camp next fall.
Because if they can't get Melo, or Pau, or the offensive-minded fallback choice we don't yet know about, it'll be incumbent upon Rose to be the offensive savior Chicago badly needs.
I'd love to tell you I'm smart enough to forecast right now, with clarity, whether Rose's body get hold for an entire season -- let alone the three left on his contract at a tidy total of $60.28 million -- but I can't.
this offseason or going to be way too much for Chicago to afford as a backup